"We play the Steelers," Pederson said after Tuesday's practice. "Kickoff is, I believe, 7 o'clock."

After more than six months, the Eagles will finally be in action at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night. The four-week preparation for the regular season and audition period for the team's younger players begins in earnest with the first real, live action of the NFL season. And the Eagles starters will play -- if they are healthy.

"We're going to try to get everybody in this football game," Pederson said. "It's one of those games where we try to play everybody. We're still evaluating, so it's great to get everybody in this game. Our starters, offensively and defensively, the ones that are healthy and going to play, are going to get some good work. I want to make sure that they get a little bit of work in this game. And I want to see all the young guys perform, and they'll get some great opportunities."

The Eagles bring back plenty of proven talent from their Super Bowl-winning squad. The position battles are few, with the slot corner, weak-side linebacker and No. 4 running back spots checking in as the most intriguing. And there are some notable contributors, including quarterback Carson Wentz, who are coming off injuries and won't play. Even Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles probably won't play Thursday night because of muscle spasms in his right trap muscle.

But some of the other Eagles high-profile players should be on the field during the preseason. Pederson revealed he hopes to get his starters a game's worth of plays -- about 65 to 70 -- during the first three games of the preseason. He hopes that keeps them sharp before the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 6.

"That's good solid work with the starters," Pederson said. "Still got to maintain an edge, obviously. It's harder though. It's harder in a preseason game because they know they're only going to play 'X'-amount of plays and then they're coming out, so it is not a full game yet. We have to try and maintain that edge into the Atlanta game."

Thursday night marks four weeks from the season opener. The Eagles will play four straight Thursday nights in the preseason before diving into the regular season with a Thursday night opener. Pederson said he knows it's a quick turnaround time, and he wants to balance keeping his team healthy with keeping them sharp and ready for an opener that might sneak up on the calendar.

That starts Thursday night against the Steelers.

"Our Week 1 rolls pretty fast," Pederson said. "We're playing a game on Thursday, preseason, a home game, opening day seven days later. I've got to keep talking to them as if we're preparing this week for that game, and that's all part of their mindset."

1. What will the backup quarterback experience yield in the preseason?

Carson Wentz and Nick Foles won't play much in the preseason, if at all. That means backups Nate Sudfeld and Joe Callahan will receive the majority of the reps. What does that mean for the Eagles? It'll be interesting to watch. Sudfeld was accurate and solid in his NFL debut in last year's season finale, and he's shown off nice touch on his deep ball. Sudfeld has a similar physical frame to Wentz and Foles, so he should fit well into the offense. He just has to make quick decisions. Callahan, meanwhile, is a little smaller, and Wentz described him as a "gunslinger." He could be fun to watch late in some of these games.

2. Who will get an early leg up in position battles?

As mentioned above, the Eagles position battles are pretty limited this summer, so there are only a couple spots to watch. The first preseason game should provide an early indication of who has impressed through training camp. It's hard to read too much into the different rotations and combinations, but it will be worth watching who flashes their potential at opportune times against the Steelers and beyond.

3. What will the environment at Lincoln Financial Field be like?

The Eagles drew 40,000 fans to practice Sunday night, and Wentz joked the team talked about using a silent count because of the raucous nature of the crowd. Thursday night figures to be pretty similar. Ever since the Super Bowl win, every Eagles gathering has the feel of a party. With the team playing its first game at the Linc since the NFC Championship Game, Eagles fans figure to give their team a warm, exciting welcome.